Third Wheel
by TheStigsWriterCousin
Summary: After they've put past events behind them, Shawn just wants everything to go back to normal. That's probably not going to happen. OMC Character Death, Shassie, Shawn/OMC Sort of...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So... This is the sequel to Worst Date Ever, you don't have to read that to understand this at all. Just know that Lassie saved Shawn from a serial killer and now they're shacked up. Yeah, that's... Really all you need to know. Also, feel free to use your imaginations, but I picture the new OMC in this story to pretty much look and sound like Jude Law, because he is absolutely one of the sexiest people on the planet. Enjoy and pleeeease let me know what you think :)**

It had been just over a month since Shawn was released from the Hospital and moved in with Carlton. Everything was going pretty well, all things considered. His physical therapy had been challenging sometimes, but it never crossed his mind that he wouldn't eventually be back at 100%. He was a trooper and would do anything necessary to make sure he and Gus won the SBPD three-legged race at this year's annual picnic. Any time it got tough for him, his boyfriend was there for him to massage his aching muscles and encourage him to continue.

Speaking of that, they had dropped the b-bomb officially about a week after Shawn was able to, but refused to go home. There was no reason to hide it, there was no denying it and everyone that mattered already knew about their relationship before it had a title anyway.

For all of the good though, there always had to be something bad to keep life balanced. Shawn had been having headaches and odd sensations that bordered on hallucinations. He had strange, sometimes frightening dreams, not about what happened to him, but something else. He dreamt about a man he'd never met before, but was slowly getting to know.

At first, he thought that it must have been from the pain medication he was on for his therapy, but as he progressed, his medication lightened and the weirdness only got worse. One night he would dream about trivial things, the man making breakfast, sitting alone watching the world go by through the window as he ate. The next night, he would see the man fighting with a woman, yelling things he couldn't make out. He lit up a cigarette and ran his fingers through his hair when she finally stormed out, door slamming behind her. He was living a stranger's life in his dreams, it seemed.

He knew that logically, it was crazy to put any meaning into it. He knew that it had to just be random, some guy he'd seen on the street and his mind was just running with it, but that wasn't what it felt like. It felt as real to Shawn as when he was living his own life. He knew it was insane, but somehow he knew that it wasn't just made up.

One thing that convinced him of that was how strongly he felt the emotions of the dreams. The love, the hate, the monotonous melancholy of this man's life, he felt it all like he was living it first hand. He was also often struck by how beautiful the man was. Not handsome, or good looking, but beautiful. He was tall and lean, with short curly brown hair and full lips. His eyes haunted Shawn when he woke up. They were a blue-green color that looked as if they were hiding every secret in the world and so desperately wanted to tell them. They were eyes that Shawn saw when he closed his own.

None of the dreams came in any sequence that he could tell. Sometimes the man was younger, sometimes he was older, though he was never very old. Shawn had an ominous dream one night that he could feel in his bones was a moment from near the end of the man's life. He must have been in his late-twenties, so young to die, if he had ever really existed at all.

The dreams didn't bother him so much as when they started affecting him when he was awake. He was thinking to himself one day when he realized that it wasn't his own voice in his head. It was like someone else was there, speaking his own thoughts to him. He felt like he could almost see them, just out of the corner of his eye, but when he looked, he was still alone.

He thought that he must be going crazy, but so far, the voice wasn't telling him to kill anyone or to do anything. He decided to keep it to himself. He promised that he would tell Lassiter about it if it got worse, but that wasn't true at all.

From just a dream to a glimpse in the corner of his eye to right in front of him, the transformation happened so seamlessly, he almost wasn't shocked when it finally did happen. It was kind of nice to put a face with the voice and he was right, it was the man from his dreams.

Shawn tried not to hide his surprised when he'd woken up from another dream to see the man lying on the bed next to him, silently watching him. There was no malice in his actions, but waking up to see someone other than his boyfriend there was a bit startling, regardless.

They stared at each other for a moment, before Shawn rolled onto his side and broke the ice. "Who are you?" Neither sat up, continuing to lie there as they spoke.

"You can call me El, if you'd like." He almost smiled, but it seemed just out of his reach to do so.

"Okay, but who are you?" He wanted an explanation, if only as an excuse to hear his voice again. There was something eerily striking about his accent and the way he talked. He spoke slowly, the timbre of his voice sent chills down Shawn's spine.

"Who do you think I am?"

Shawn pursed his lips, thinking to himself as he stared the man down. "Who I think you are is crazy." When the other man didn't make any move to help him, he continued, despite how insane it was. "I think you're a ghost. But that doesn't make any sense because ghosts aren't real."

"I didn't think so either, but here I am, aren't I?" He sighed, looking past Shawn, sadness in his eyes. "You haven't seen how I died yet, have you?

When their eyes locked again, something clicked in Shawn. He was certain in that moment that he hadn't been living some false life in his dreams, he had been watching this person's memories. This ghost's memories of when he was alive. "No, I haven't." He didn't question it, he knew that's what it was. All skepticism was tossed aside and he knew that was what had been happening and as psychotic as it seemed, he still believed it with every bit of himself.

El made a small 'hm' sound, and dropped the subject. "Why me? Why am I seeing your memories?" Shawn wanted answers. Answers would make him feel less crazy.

"We're connected, Shawn. More deeply than you can imagine right now."

"How?" Shawn huffed, getting annoyed at not getting any real answers.

"Shawn, are you listening to me at all?" Lassiter snapped his fingers in front of the younger man's eyes, trying to get his attention. He sat down on the edge of the bed and put his hand on Shawn's forehead. "Are you feeling okay?"

Shawn blinked, confused beyond belief. Only a moment ago, he was lying here, speaking to a ghost and now Lassiter was sitting on the bed talking to him. _Given that Lassie isn't looking at me like I'm nuts, I guess I wasn't talking out loud just now.._

"I'm fine, just a little tired." Shawn plastered on a fake smile and sat up, ready to begin the day, but knowing he would be too distracted to get anything useful done.

Carlton didn't believe the smile for a minute, but he trusted that Shawn would talk to him about whatever it was when he was ready. "So what trouble are you going to cause today?" Shawn smiled at the Head Detective and crawled over onto his lap.

"Why don't you stick around and find out?" He smiled, connecting their lips as he ran his hands down his partner's sides. There was nothing like the firmness of his partner's chest and warmth of his lips to make Shawn forget about the weirdness moments ago.

Carlton moaned into him and kissed back for a moment before pulling back. "Some of us have to work, you know." He let Shawn paw at him while he tightened his tie.

The psychic whined, but let him leave at the very last minute. He had enough things to keep him occupied and they would have plenty of time together later. Shawn got dressed and decided to take a stroll for breakfast.

A stack of pancakes and a pineapple smoothie later, he was sitting on the end of the pier, trying to remember something from the dreams that would help him figure out who El was and how they were connected.

"Sweets and a smoothie, huh?" El stood beside him, leaning heavily against the wooden rails.

"Breakfast of champions." Shawn wasn't as surprised at his arrival this time.

He took a deep, peaceful breath and for a moment, Shawn wondered if he was really even breathing. "You know, you can just ask if you have questions."

"Yeah, well you weren't that helpful earlier." He kept sipping, watching the people around him to see if they were reacting. He didn't want people thinking he was talking to himself like some lunatic. No one seemed to notice.

El smiled, Shawn's paranoia was kind of cute. "That's because Carlton was so kind as to interrupt us. I thought you might want a few moments alone."

He stopped slurping and looked over with a suspicious expression. "How do you know his name?" He thought it was possible that he may have been hovering around Shawn longer than he thought, without being seen. That didn't feel right, though.

"I know a lot about him, Shawn." He had a nostalgic look on his face as he looked over the water. "We grew up together. We were best friends before I died."

Shawn looked at him, trying to read his expression to see if he was being truthful. There were too many questions running through his head, but he settled on the one that would hopefully help answer all of the others. "What's your name?"

"Elliot Warren." He knew where he was going with the question. Shawn would do some research, find out who he was, if he was lying or not and then they would go from there. He just hoped that Shawn was ready for what he was going to uncover.

He started to walk away when Elliot threw in one more useful bit of information. "March 3rd, 2003." He nodded, not needing to ask what that date represented. He was going to find out everything that there was to know about Elliot Warren and he had to admit, it felt kind of good to be back in the game.

- TBC -

**A/N: Also, it will get less serious, I promise.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So, this chapter is pretty sad, but the back story has to be laid out before the fun and mystery can begin, so bear with me and let me know what you think :)**

For the first time in what seemed like forever, Shawn went back to the Psych office. He started his search for what happened to Elliot Warren and what exactly it had to do with him. It wasn't hard to find his obituary, but it also wasn't very helpful. When someone dies tragically, they rarely make mention of it.

He went with his guts and searched again, this time including the word 'murder'. He found more than he was expecting. Apparently, it was a multiple department case, covering several cities, each with their own versions printed in their local papers along with it making the national news. Most of the stories were the same and the headlines included everything from 'Serial Killer on the Loose' to 'Another Victim, No Suspects'.

Shawn remembered hearing about the case from his father while he was in South America that summer. The guy had a thing for drowning people and that was the only consistency in any of his 'work'. There was no connection between victims, they were varied ages and genders with different lifestyles. Some of them seemed to be crimes of opportunity, some were more thought out, planned ahead.

There was no sense to it, which was probably the biggest reason that he was never caught. The police could never quite catch up, always following one step behind him. It looked as if Lassiter was the closest they'd come to cutting him off and he was removed from the case after the incident with Elliot. Shawn assumed that if they caught the guy, they couldn't take the chance of the conflict of interest becoming an issue in court. Murderers have been set free for less than that before.

Even after reading every article start to finish, he didn't seem to know much at all about what happened other than Elliot being the last of the lunatic's victims, that the police knew about anyway. He had the feeling that a lot of important facts were missing, but it wasn't a subject that he wanted to ask Elliot about directly. Or Lassiter.

Shawn checked the time on his phone and dialed Carlton, not realizing how late it had gotten. "Hey, are we still on for dinner?" Plans between them were usually pretty fluid, given the nature of the detective's work. Shawn had to double check before he gave up and ate on his own.

Carlton sighed into the phone, having forgotten about their plans during his busy day. "Yeah, just… Let me get a few more things wrapped up here and I'll be right home."

"Make it the office?" Shawn wanted to sneak in a little more research before he was done for the night.

"Sure…" Lassiter couldn't hide the curiosity in his voice. Shawn hadn't even mentioned Psych since he'd woken up. He wasn't sure just how he felt about the younger man getting back to work.

When Shawn hung up the phone, he wondered what else there could be to the story that he was missing. He also wondered if he really wanted to know. He groaned and knuckled back down, digging deeper.

- At the Station -

Carlton was still doing paperwork, trying to make up for all of the times his partner had covered his ass while he was taking care of Shawn. It seemed endless, but the beauty was that papers would wait until morning without complaining. He found a good place to stop and put the stack away in his desk.

He was very curious about why Shawn was back at the Psych office of all places. Surely, he would have said something if a new client had popped up. He was there within a half hour of their short phone conversation, about to open the door when Shawn beat him to it. Even though Carlton didn't believe in psychics, it still caught him off guard when Shawn did things like that.

The younger man smiled, loving it when he could get his boyfriend to make that face that screamed 'how do you do that?'. "So, do you mind if we eat and walk?"

He shook his head, not minding at all. They got some Chinese food and strolled up and down the boulevard. "So, what were you doing back at Psych?" He tried to not bring it up, but his curiosity was driving him mad.

"I was in the area when I got a pretty strong vibe. I couldn't wait to check it out at home, so I stopped in."

"Did you find anything?" Carlton didn't believe in 'vibes' and 'sensing' things, but Shawn was smart and had good instincts. He wasn't going to tune his mumblings out again after what happened last time. That and when he wasn't making an obscure 80s reference, the detective generally liked hearing what his partner had to say.

Shawn slurped a long noodle up, rubbing the sauce off of his nose. "Not much. Enough that I don't feel crazy, but not enough to get it off my mind."

Carlton nodded as he finished off his carton of MSG-saturated pork. That explained why Shawn was so preoccupied lately, he always got that way when something was on his mind that he couldn't figure out.

Before he could get his next sentence out, he felt a drop on his face and looked up to the sky. "Damn…" With another drop, he tossed their empty containers into a nearby trashcan. He was going to ask Shawn if he wanted to head back to the car, but when he looked back, he couldn't speak.

Shawn was leaning against the railing, eyes closed, head back, ready for the rain. He felt a sense of déjà vu for a moment before Shawn spoke up. "Lovely day for rain, isn't it?"

He stopped dead in his tracks and a shiver went down his spine. He hadn't heard those words in a very long time. "What?"

As Shawn's head came down, he'd realized what he just said. He'd remembered Elliot saying it in a dream of his and it just came out without him thinking. When he saw the way that Carlton was looking at him, he felt guilty for some reason, like he wasn't allowed to say those words.

He smiled, hoping that Carlton wouldn't think too much of it. "It never rains when it's warm, so it's kind of nice."

He shook his head, trying to shake the memories that were flooding back to him. "Yeah… We should head back."

The drive home was mostly awkward, neither saying much. Carlton felt like a jerk for being weird about it, there was no way that he could have known what he was saying would affect him that way. He shouldn't make such a big deal out of it, but he couldn't help but wonder why Shawn looked so guilty.

Back at the house, they curled up on the bed, both too distracted and mentally exhausted to do anything but cuddling. Before long, Shawn was asleep, resting his head on Carlton's thigh as he sat against the headboard reading.

Before he turned the lights off to join Shawn, he couldn't help but notice that from that particular angle, he looked a lot like his old friend and it made his heart jump.

- Shawn's Dream -

Shawn looked around, realizing that he was in a memory and for the first time, he felt like an outsider in one of Elliot's memories, like he shouldn't see this one. He Didn't know what was happening at first, but he knew that he was scared. The emotions of his dreams were always intense, but that had been nothing compared to this.

He looked around the room, eyes easily adjusting to the dimness. It looked like a sewer, but something wasn't quite normal. All but two of the drains were sealed off roughly. One of them looked like it led up to the surface, the other probably went further down the line to who knows where. The side drain was in a small corner with bars in front of it, like a cage. It was obviously not part of the original design.

Shawn stiffened, understanding which memory he was seeing. As he looked closer at the bars, he saw Elliot, sitting in the corner, as oblivious to Shawn's presence as he always was. The psychic felt his fear, pain and sadness so vividly.

Both he and Elliot were startled when they heard someone approaching, banging their way down the upper drain. Carlton dropped down the last few steps, unable to slow himself down. The young man in the cage unbundled himself and ran to the bars, no longer capable of reigning in his emotions.

"Carlton!" As soon as he hit the bars, they grabbed onto each other as tightly as possible. The detective held him and tried his best to calm his friend down, but they didn't have a lot of time.

"El, are you okay? Listen to me, we're going to get you out of here, but I need your help. Can you help me?" It took everything in him to keep himself together for his friend. He knew that if he lost his cool, it was all over.

He nodded, not able to speak.

"What can you tell me about this place? How did he get you in there? Did he say anything to you?" Carlton needed something to go on if they were going to break out.

Elliot took a deep breath and dug his fingers into the older man's jacket sleeve to calm his nerves. "I don't know how I got here and I've been trying for hours to get out." He sounded like he already knew the outcome. "He told me what would happen once you got here, it's all over now."

Lassiter shook his head, not understanding until he heard water rushing around them. Before he could ask, the drain behind Elliot began leaking. Slowly at first, but before long, it was a full-blown flood.

"He said that once you got here, we would have ten minutes before the room was full. Carlton, there's not a way out." He bit his lip, trying not to scream in frustration. There was his hero, right in front of him. So close to setting him free, but not able. The futility of it made him so angry.

"I'll call someone in to cut the bars." Lassiter thought quickly.

"You can't. He's watching and if anything or anyone else comes down here, he'll electrify the water and we'll both die." As water rushed past them, Carlton began to understand that this invitation from the killer wasn't meant as an opportunity to save Elliot. The man wanted him to watch his best friend die and know that he couldn't stop it.

As he wracked his brain, the detective kept coming up with nothing. With it being just the two of them, there was no way they could break him out. The bars were too sturdy and they only had a few minutes left. He couldn't risk leaving, but there was nothing he could do if he stayed.

"Carlton…"

"No. You are not giving me a 'goodbye' speech, El." They tightened their grips on each other, both knowing that now there was nothing left to do but wait.

"It's not a goodbye, it's a confession. And a request." He nodded, not being able to deny his friend his dying wish. "I love you. I always have." He didn't need to specify that his feelings were more than platonic.

Carlton began to speak when he was cut off. "Kiss me, Carlton. Please, if I'm going to die, just once-" It was Elliot's turn to be cut off by Lassiter's desperately furious lips against his. There was nothing sweet or gentle about it, but it was everything that either could have asked for. Years and years of emotion thrown into one kiss was more than either of them could have imagined.

They broke apart for air as the water flowed up to their hips. While Lassiter had plenty of space, Elliot's corner only extended a few inches above his head. "I'm such an idiot." Carlton let out an ironic laugh. "All these years and I was too afraid to say anything. You don't know how long I've loved you."

Elliot smiled back at him, despite the situation, to hear those words made his heart flutter. At least he would die with those words in his mind.

Carlton tried to take his mind off of things, doing what little he could to make the terrible situation a little less depressing. "It rained earlier today."

They rubbed their heads together, cheeks resting against one another. "Did you think of me?"

"I did." Carlton never understood why Elliot loved the rain so much. Most people hated it when it was damp and cold and miserable, but El was different. He was never as happy as when he was walking outside, soaked to the bone, rain falling around him.

Water slammed against the back of his head and his feet started to lift off of the ground. "Will you always think of me when it rains?" He was crying again, water and tears both drenching his face. He wasn't ready to let go of a love he'd just admitted, that had just been admitted to him.

"Even when it doesn't." Carlton couldn't keep his strong mask on anymore as he helped hold his friend up as high as he could go. Only a few inches left.

"Please don't leave me."

They clasped two hands together, using the other two to hold on to the bars and waited for the final moment. "I love you, I love you, I love you!" Carlton repeated it over and over, wanting it to be the last thing that Elliot heard and felt and thought about.

They both took the deepest breaths that they could when the water came up too far. Under the surface, things seemed deceptively calm. They stared at each other, never moving as it became impossible for them not to breath. Carlton looked into Elliot's eyes as he gave up and took a breath in. It only took a few seconds for his gasping for air under the surface to still and Lassiter continued to hold his breath even longer, still not wanting to leave.

As the detective's head came up for water, Shawn shot up in bed, gasping for air, face covered in tears. He felt hands on his back, rubbing gentle circles, but he couldn't stop sobbing.

He'd tried waking Shawn for several minutes, by the time he was awake, Carlton was more than worried. "It's okay, it was just a dream." He tried to sooth the other man, a little afraid of what could have him so upset.

Shawn sobbed jumbled, partial sentences, leaning into Lassiter's touch. "It wasn't a dream, it was real - He couldn't breath - I couldn't save him!" He was barely coherent as he ranted. "You couldn't save him. It's not fair…"

Like an upset child, Shawn was quickly wearing himself out and soon sniffled against Lassiter's chest, finally able to speak and make sense.

"What did you dream about?" The only way to help Shawn was to know what he was going through, so he would sit, holding his lover for as long as he needed.

Part of Shawn knew not to mention it, but the dominant part of him couldn't keep quiet. Before, it would be no problem waiting to tell Lassiter about having seen and spoken with Elliot, but now? "El."

Carlton froze, arms stiffening around Shawn. "What?"

Shawn looked up, almost afraid to see the look in the other's eyes. "I dreamt about Elliot. About how he…"

"How do you know about Elliot?" His voice came off more harsh than he'd meant.

"I've been having these… Visions and dreams about him. For a while now. I didn't know who he was until today. That's what I was researching at Psych." Shawn blew his nose and rubbed his eyes, his voice still shaking.

Lassiter looked at him like he was lying, still not believing in the whole 'psychic' thing. "Well, sure. It was all over the papers, I guess you could know about him." He grasped for a reasonable explanation.

Shawn was a little offended by the fact that he was being honest with Lassiter and all he was doing was rationalizing what he was saying. "I'm not lying, Carlton. I know more than I read in the papers." Lassiter gave him an expectant look. "I know that he never liked coffee and that he didn't smoke around you because he knew you hated it. He had a cat once, but when it chewed up his favorite scarf, he gave it to the little girl down the street named Maria."

Lassiter looked mildly shocked, but explained it all away. "You could have found that out by talking to any number of his old friends."

"I know you still think about him when it rains, and even when it doesn't. And I know that the last thing that he heard before he died was you saying 'I love you'." Shawn looked him right in the eyes, almost as a challenge to him to try and figure out how else he could have known that. His eyes almost begged for his boyfriend to believe him.

It worked. Lassiter stared at him, mouth open without words coming out. He gaped for a few moments before finding the ability to speak again. "How?" Every doubt that he had about Shawn's 'gift' was starting to fade away. There was simply no way he could know to say that. Those words had never escaped his lips after that night. Never.

"I saw it. I went to sleep and I was there." Shawn's eyes watered up again, thinking back to it. He felt like a part of himself died in that memory as well. "I've been dreaming about him for a long time, I've talked to him. I've seen him, Carlton."

Carlton didn't know what to say, he was literally speechless for the first time in a very long time. Ghosts weren't real and psychics aren't real, yet somehow he was apparently living with both. His logical mind couldn't wrap itself around any of that, but if he knew anything, it was that he could trust Shawn.

"I lied before, about being psychic." He looked up at Lassiter with an apologetic face. "But I'm not lying now, you have to believe me."

Carlton bit his lip and nodded, pulling Shawn against his chest. They would figure everything out, but first they needed sleep. Tomorrow morning, he would give Shawn the chance to tell him everything.

- TBC -


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** So, I debated for a while about finishing this, since it was started on a whim anyway. Inspiration came back around while listening to a song that I love, but also am slightly weirded out by, so here is another chapter with some hints about what's to come.

Anyway, overall I am trying to make my rounds through all of the stories I have that are still incomplete and write as much as I can in my free time, but I will spend the most effort where the love is, so pleaaaase **review** your favourites!

-The Bedroom-

Shawn woke up feeling better than he thought he would. He expected the heavy head of falling asleep after crying, and tossing and turning given the dream he'd had only hours before, but he felt fine. A little numb, but mostly fine.

Carlton noticed when Shawn had stirred and made his way over to the bed. They stared at each other for a moment before the older man leaned in for a slow kiss. What started as a simple 'good morning' kiss quickly deepened, Shawn realizing just how much he needed the comfort of his lover's touch.

When Lassiter went to pull away, Shawn's hand held the back of his head, pressing their lips closer together, silently begging him to stay. Carlton settled into the bed, pulling the covers off of his boyfriend. As they kissed, Shawn undressed them, eager to feel warm skin against his.

Shawn moaned and gasped as Carlton's hands roamed his body, pushing every bad thought out of his mind. He bit his lip as his partner slid inside of him, fingers digging into his shoulders. Neither were worried about the lack of preparation, thinking only about how much they needed the other's touch.

They kissed, breath mingling as they both climaxed quickly. They huffed as Carlton moved off to the side, burying his face in Shawn's chest.

"I'm sorry about last night." He almost whispered against the psychic's skin. "It's just so..."

"Crazy? Yeah, I thought so too." Shawn kissed the top of his lover's head. "Then I saw it happen and I knew. I just knew that it was real."

Carlton sat up, his back against the headboard, holding the younger man's hand. "How much did you see? Do you know who killed him?"

He shook his head woefully. "No. I only saw when you were there. I know what you know, but I felt it. Everything that he felt." Shawn tightened the grip of his fingers. "You have no idea what it meant to him to have you there, to hear you saying 'I love you', to kiss you…"

The Head Detective bit his lip and closed his eyes, refusing to tear up. "Why now? We've known each other for years, why didn't you see any of this before?"

"I wasn't a real psychic before, for starters. I don't know what changed or why, it just did." He wished he had a better answer, but he really didn't have any clue.

"But there has to be a reason for it, right? Is the guy going to kill more people? Does Elliot have a message for me? What?" He grasped for reason, anything to explain why these things were happening. He needed rationale.

Shawn laughed lightly. "You have no idea how many things he's wanted to say to you. He's been reaching out for years, you just haven't noticed." He felt his lover stiffen at the remark before he realized what he'd said. "That's not what I meant…"

"I know, I know, it's just… You're right. I never believed in this stuff before, he could have been right in front of me and I wouldn't have seen it."

"He's been right in front of you. A lot." Shawn stared off in the distance, knowing what would come next as Lassiter looked around nervously, like he expected something to jump out at him.

"He isn't here now." They sat in a sad silence for several minutes. "He was here with you the first night I was in the I.C.U., sleeping next to you. All he's ever wanted was for you to fall in love again and he was worried that you had realized it too late with me."

The older man just sat, listening. Overwhelmed by the events of the day already.

Shawn chuckled to himself, remembering an early dream of a jealous Elliot. "At first, he wanted to hate the fact that I could be with you in a way that that couldn't. That I could talk to you and you would talk back, that I could feel you. He told me that he felt like he'd been replaced, but now he's just happy that you have someone that loves you like he did and that you aren't alone."

Carlton smiled at that, glad that Elliot wasn't upset with him. He wanted more than anything for El to be happy, wherever he was.

"The case is still open, isn't it?" Lassiter could hear the gears turning in the other's head as the questions came out.

"It is, but I can't have anything to do with it and I'm not sure that I want you to either." As much as he wanted justice, if another serial killer got a hold of Shawn, he couldn't imagine what he would do.

"I know, but even if it seems crazy now, this has to be happening for a reason. If we can just find out why, we can give what we find to Juliet and let her handle it, but I have to know. We have to do something." Shawn was obviously set on the idea of helping Eliot and it made Lassiter smile a little on the inside.

"Okay. I can't have anything to do with this, though. You get the files on your own and you keep them at the Psych office. If we talk about the case, we have to be discreet. If we catch this guy and he walks because of me..." He didn't have to finish the sentence, Shawn knew that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if that happened. Or that he would do something very, very stupid.

Shawn leaned in to kiss Carlton one more time. "I know. We'll be careful." He slid off of the bed, heading for the closet. He wasn't hungry, but he was eager to get to the SBPD headquarters and get that file. There had been plenty of cases that wouldn't have been solved if it wasn't for his gift and he hoped this one would be the same.

"Want to ride with me?" Lassiter dug a suit out of the closet next to Shawn, laying it out on the bed.

"Yeah, I think it's supposed to rain again today." They got ready without many more words as they brushed their teeth and made coffee. Shawn used to think that things like that in a relationship were boring, but he loved the monotonous mornings with Lassiter. He loved when they squeezed past each other as they navigated the bathroom, both trying to get ready at the same time. He especially loved when he would straighten his boyfriend's tie before kissing him goodbye and wishing him a good day at work.

While he loved to spend his time being carefree and supporting Lassiter, and occassionally helping him with a case, he really was happy to have something more to do. He didn't press the issue of going back to work because he knew that Carlton was worried about him and honestly, he wasn't sure if he was ready. Now, he knew that it didn't matter if he was ready, there was work to be done and no one else to do it.

-The Station-

After charming his way into the records room, Shawn took a few minutes to find the files he was looking for. The folder was surprisingly thick for a killer that hadn't been caught. When he started to look through the pages, he realized that there wasn't a lot of information on the killer or the crimes, but of the victims. There were nine total, Elliot being the last of them. The amount of information that they had collected on the killer wasn't much at all.

As he skimmed the pages, he noted the dates and times of events as well as victim information such as birthdates and the cities they were from. He was hoping to find a quick connection that would give him something to start with, but they were all so random.

The first victim was Karen Wright, 33 year old mother of two that was twice divorced and unemployeed at the time. His second victim was Isaac Levelle a 19 year old college freshman attending UCLA on a basketball scholarship. The last was a 26 year old Elliot Warren, local artist and best friend of SBPD officer Carlton Lassiter. In between, there were men and women, the youngest victim being 14, the oldest being 66.

Shawn immediately discounted all information on Elliot, assuming that he was only killed to have Lassiter taken off of the case and to make a point. If there was any sort of pattern, it would be likely that he wouldn't fit into it.

He spent a few hours making lists, writing down significant dates, times, cities and any other information that had been collected from all of the victims as well as birthdays and personal information.

The files had the victims listed by last name, but as he was making a list of the victims by first name to compare, he noticed something odd. He listed the names in order: Karen, Isaac, Nathaniel, Greta, Sergio, Cedrick, Randy, Olivia and Salma. He highlighted the first letter of each name, coming up with 'K-I-N-G-S-C-R-O-S'.

He blinked for a moment, speaking the words out loud as he read down the list. "Kings Cross?" There was no way that in the almost two years that they were hunting this guy and in the year before the case went cold, that no one had noticed that. He pulled his laptop from his bag and started searching. His first instinct was that it could be a location or a landmark, but he couldn't find anything in California that made sense. He saved it just in case, but moved on.

After several dozen pages of looking through religious references as his second idea, he was about to give up when he noticed a related search had popped up in a small, blue font. "King's Crossing by Elliott Smith." He mused out loud as he clicked it. The name was what caught his attention.

The screen opened up to a video player and immediately started. It began with an eerie screeching music and disjointed whispers. Shawn got chills down his spine before the words even began to be sung, but the lyrics only made it worse.

_The king's crossing was the main attraction, dominoes falling in a chain reaction._

_The judge is on vinyl, decisions are final and nobody gets a reprieve. And every wave is tidal - if you hang around you're going to get wet._

_I can't prepare for death any more than I already have. All you can do now is watch the shells, the game looks easy, that's why it sells. Frustrated fireworks inside your head are going to stand and deliver talk instead._

_I got a heavy metal mouth that hurls obscenity and I get my check from the trash treasury, because I took my own insides out._

_ His voice is overwhelming, but his speech is slurred and I only understand every other word. Open your parachute and grab your gun, falling down like an omen, a setting sun._

_This is the place where time reverses, dead men talk to all the pretty nurses. Instruments shine on a silver tray. Don't let me get carried away._

Shawn was glad when the video ended, feeling a little sick. He stared at the screen, wondering if his gut was right in thinking that he'd stumbled on to something of great importance. Just in case, he downloaded the song on his phone. He closed his laptop and began to gather his things when he noticed the time. He and Lassiter had a lunch date in half an hour and he was at a good stopping point.

- The Restaurant-

"You found something, didn't you?" Lassiter sat down at the table Shawn had chosen and the brunette hadn't even noticed, obviously stuck in his head.

Shawn looked up, a little surprised that he had been so out of it. "I think so." Carlton looked at him nervously. "Does 'King's Crossing' mean anything to you?"

They paused for a moment to order their usual meals, waiting for the waitress to leave before continuing. "Not off the top of my head, no. What is it?" The detective tried to remember it, but it had been almost 10 years since he was removed from the case.

Shawn showed his partner the list of names and pulled out his phone and headphones to share the song. He sat in silence as the other listened. When it finished, they stared at each other, not sure exactly what to say.

"I don't want to jump to conclusions, and it's all very cryptic, but I do see some potential connections. I think that it's as good a place as any to start." The air around them was somewhat awkward as their food arrived and they began to eat.

"I know it's kind of a leap, but it just feels important. I can't explain it." Shawn Bit his lip, bringing up what they had both been thinking about it. "You realize that if the names are the connection, there are still four missing."

Lassiter nodded solemnly, having been thinking the same thing. "How does El fit in? Or does he?" Carlton had just realized that there was no 'E' in 'King's Crossing'. He was glad he hadn't ordered much, not having the stomach for what they were discussing. Normally, he was unfazed, but this was very personal for him.

Shawn shook his head as he swallowed a fork full of chili cheese fries. "At first, I figured that he wasn't intended to be part of the pattern, so I took him out." Between bites he explained. "The song is by Elliott Smith. I don't know if Elliot's murder was as strictly strategic as it seemed. Maybe he was part of it all along?"

Lassiter pushed his plate away, not able to finish the rest. He wasn't sure if he was upset or relieved by the thought that Elliot played into the mad man's plot. On one hand, he had always felt guilty that El had gotten killed because of him, to get him off the case. On the other hand, if the killer had chosen him before, then Lassiter would have been helpless to save him. He didn't like either option.

As they walked back to the station, Shawn fully realized what he had gotten himself into. Neither of them had expected to have a lead, even one so vague as a song, so soon. He couldn't let Carlton down on this one. He reached over and grabbed his lover's hand, entertwining their fingers in an unspoken promise.

-TBC-


End file.
